Hopfuzion | Sprecher Brewing Company

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A - Save for a few little bubbles here and there, Hopfuzion is rather lifeless, but that doesn't stop the head from maintaining it's plump form above the clear goldenrod beer. The off-white foam drapes lace down the glass as it lowers slowly for great appeal.

S - Hopfuzion bursts fourth with bold but reserved (not double IPA) hop aromas fit for a lager. Sticky resin is reminiscent of picking fresh hops as lupulin glands become crushed on one's finger-tips. Citrus and a healthy dose of herbs comes into play giving the nose a very unsweetened sun tea-like scent. Biscuity malt approaches behind for stability and a nice balance.

T - Incredibly unique upon first sip, this beer's abounding tea-like flavors compound for a very exciting flavor. I wasn't quite sure where they were headed in aroma as they seemed to stray from the base idea in an unintentional manner. The combination of biscuity malt and fresh, herbal hops really creates a fantastic sun tea profile with lingering malt sweetness and a trailing finish of hop resin.

M - Crisp with carbonation, Hopfuzion is a smooth beer with a medium body and delicate finish of herbal tea and light hop bitterness as the beer's essence lingers lightly on the tongue for moments after a sip.

O - Sprecher's Hopfuzion incorporates wet hops into a beer in one of the most unique ways I've ever experienced. No green counterparts engage the palate, instead the hoppiness transforms into an herbal tea-like flavor and feel for a complex beer outcome. Hopfuzion is exceptional and I'd be remiss if I didn't say it was completely worth trying!

Translucent amber in color with three minutes of stable single finger of creamy fluffy foam and nice lacing. Refreshing crisp clean light texture and adequate carbonation levels for tongue tickling but not annoyance levels of such. One of the most sessionable mouthfeels that still maintains decent amounts of flavor I've seen in quite some time...

Smells like a freshly opened box of breakfast Muesli (the dried apple kind). This is where the beer treads on dangerous territory: It's got so much apple and citrus peel residuals in the aroma that it's really hard to call it a lager and maintain a straight face. This is where I'd suggest some room for tinkering and improvement is needed.

BeerFMAndy hit the nail right on the head; This beer tastes *exactly* like a glass of unsweetened iced tea (sans ice) augmented with a fistful of savory herbs (sage, thyme, etc) and a light dollop of whole-grain breadiness. There's also a touch of chrysanthemum florals and borage garnishes in the background as the glass warms up.

It's a POWER CHORD of herbal tea hopping characteristics, and I love how it really lets the stripped-down and chopped herbal qualities take over the center stage to shine. Whenever I have to explain to somebody what I mean when I talk about to herbal hopping flavor, from now on I merely have to point a finger at this beer and say, "That's my standard of reference right over there."

So... if you love herbal hopping, try this one. If you hate herbal hopping, avoid it like the plague.

The body appears golden yellow and is topped with a thick, long-lasting head; gobs of foam clinging to the sides of my glass. Lots of caramel notes in the aroma. Crisp, clean taste and feel; fairly malty with a nice hop bitterness to even out the sweetness.

A rather pleasant surprise as the taste and feel weren't quite what I expected based on the aroma. Heck, I'd say the aroma seemed almost one-dimensional and with the strong caramel/butterscotch scent, I really expected this to come across like an ESB or other big malt ale. Well, hey. The flavor presents a medium-light roasted grain flavor that is nicely balanced with a non-obtrusive hop bitterness at the finish. I also found the mouthfeel surprisingly light and smooth (relatively speaking) which added to the overall satisfaction of slowly knocking back this beer. Yeah, this is a decent little lager...

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, the beer was a golden straw color with an active white head topping the glass. A timid citrus aroma was noted coming from the glass as the foam dissolved while leaving lacing on the side of the glass. A tea-like taste was noted in the initial sip, most similar to green tea. Hopfuzion gets hoppier toward the back of the throat, while the grassier notes set the backbone. Other detectable notes include orange rind and lemon/lime soda. The mouthfeel proved to be quite fizzy like a soda, reinforcing the lemon/lime soda illusion. The carbonation brushes away the taste fairly quickly. This is not an overly hoppy beer, but it is a pleasant hoppy beer.

S: The aroma has two distinct components. The first is fruity malts and a little toast, while the second is herbal, citrus hops.

T: Not sure what to think about this. Flavor starts off with some very fruity malts with notes of unripe pear. A light bit of cracker. Then the beer turns twangy, almost sour, before the hops come in. The hops come across as intensely "green" and very herbal: almost as if this beer had parsley steeped in it.

A) Golden amber brew with nice clarity. A picture perfect two fingers of white foam reached the top of the mug. A good dusting remained during consumption. A fair amount of lacing as well. This is an attractive beer.

S) Light malt, cracker, wet grain, herbal, and a bit piney. There is a sweetness on the nose as well, like a nice honey crisp apple.

T) Near the nose, but the fresh hop shines even more with the flavor. Pleasantly piney, herbal and grassy. I enjoyed the taste of apple skin and ripe pear. The aftertaste is light grassy bitterness. This was very tasty...

M) A lighter medium body with moderate carbonation. This was smooth, spirited and lively. A semi-dry grassy finish. This is easy drinking...

O) I like the local approach with this beer. Sprecher had a fresh hop amber last year at the brewery with hops from Northern Wisconsin, which I really enjoyed. This was excellent as well, and so easy going down the hatch. I could definitely tip back a few of these bombers. Glad to recommend this beer...